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Louis Erard La Petite Seconde Louis Horror x Seconde/Seconde/ Limited Edition 39mm Unisex Watch Silver
Ref. 34238AA61.BVA130
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The second outing between Louis Erard and the Parisian customiser seconde/seconde/ is, by design, sillier than the first. Their 2021 collaboration replaced the brand name with "Louis Error"; this time the dial reads "Louis Horror", a Halloween limited edition of 178 pieces that treats the Excellence Petite Seconde as raw material for mischief. In place of a conventional small seconds hand, a luminescent pixelated ghost orbits the sub-dial at six o'clock, glowing green — the only element on an otherwise straight-faced silver opaline dial with anthracite indexes. At 39mm with a lug-to-lug of 46.48mm, the case sits closer to the wrist than the diameter alone suggests, and wears without fuss across a wide range of wrists. The movement underneath is a Swiss élaboré-grade Sellita — not exotic, but exactly the right call for a watch whose appeal is in the dial: reliable, accurate, and easy for any watchmaker to service long after the edition has sold through. The quick-release bars on the black grained calf strap are a practical touch that fits the irreverent spirit of the whole thing.
- Reference
- 34238AA61.BVA130
- Brand
- Louis Erard
- Collection
- Excellence
- Case size
- 39mm
- Case thickness
- 12.25mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Sellita SW261-1
- Functions
- Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 46.48mm
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
- Warranty
- 3 years
Learn more about Louis Erard
Louis Erard was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1893, into a town then producing a large share of the world's watches. He worked in its workshops, founded a watchmaking school in 1929, and set up a casing and assembly business with André Perret the same year. The first watches under his own name followed in 1931.
Assembly was the trade at the time: components came from independent artisans and the assembler built, adjusted and finished the watch. By 1937 Erard employed more than sixty people and was selling internationally.
The quartz crisis did its usual damage. The company was sold in 1991 and production moved to Le Noirmont in the Jura, then sold again in 2003 to a group led by Alain Spinedi, who refocused it on mechanical watches at prices that undercut everyone doing similar work.
The regulator became the signature — the dial layout that separates hours, minutes and seconds onto their own axes, borrowed from precision reference clocks, and rarely seen at this price.
What has made the brand's recent reputation is collaboration: limited editions with independent watchmakers whose own work is unobtainable, among them Vianney Halter, Konstantin Chaykin and Alain Silberstein, on Sellita and Valjoux movements.
- 1929
- Founds a watchmaking school and a casing business with André Perret.
- 1931
- The first watches carry the Louis Erard name.
- 1991
- Sold, with production moving to Le Noirmont.
- 2003
- Relaunched under Alain Spinedi around mechanical watches.
- 2020
- Collaborations with independent watchmakers define the brand.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Louis Erard Excellence range (5), Back in Stock (4,908), Stainless Steel Watches (3,241), Automatic Watches (1,645), Leather Strap Watches (1,065), Silver Dial Watches (730) and Dress Watches (541).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 39mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Louis Erard's range as we list it
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
Louis Erard La Petite Seconde Louis alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 34238AA61.BVA130 | 2930-STC-60001 | 01 754 7741 3167-07 5 20 58BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,975 | £1,950 | £2,050 |
| Case size | 39mm | 39.5mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 38 hours | 38 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 38 hours fully wound — so it will usually stop if you leave it off overnight.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 46.48mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as unisex, and at this size it suits any wrist that takes the dimensions.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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